Irish Men’s Open Handball champion confirmed as three overseas contenders beaten

LAST EIGHT: Peter Funchion of Kells, Kilkenny, in action during the Open Men's round of 16. Pic: Stephen Marken/Sportsfile

The Men’s Open Singles title will be staying in Ireland after the three leading overseas contenders were sensationally beaten in tiebreakers on a dramatic ‘moving day’ at the oneills.com World Handball Championships at Croke Park.

Mexican brothers Luis and Daniel Cordova, highly-ranked on the professional tour in America, fell to Cork’s Daniel Relihan and Kilkenny’s Peter Funchion respectively while the rising star Stateside, 22-year-old Chicago man Ray Ure, was beaten in a very close tussle by 2022 All-Ireland Senior Singles champion Diarmaid Nash of Clare.

In a near two-hour battle, Funchion eventually got past the younger Cordova 15-11, 10-15, 11-8 while Relihan overcame an injury and a 10-7 tiebreaker deficit to defeat Luis Cordova 11-10 in the tiebreaker.

Nash and Ure – an all-State champion in high diving and cross-country running as well as the best young handballer in America – also went the distance, with the canny Nash dismantling Ure’s attacking game in the tiebreaker.

There was no such drama in the other Open Singles matches as Martin Mulkerrins, Killian Carroll, Robbie McCarthy and five-time champion Paul Brady all cruised through against Braulio Ruiz (Los Angeles), Ivan Burgos (Canada), Shane Dunne (Kilkenny) and Michael Hedigan (Cork).

The quarter-finals are down for decision on Thursday at Croke Park, with Nash v Carroll the tie of the round. Elsewhere, it’s Mulkerrins v Funchion, while Brady takes on Relihan and McCarthy meets Walsh in a repeat of this year’s All-Ireland semi-final, which Mullingar’s McCarthy won.

Meanwhile, the Ladies Open Singles served off on Wednesday, with Kilkenny’s Aoife Holden losing to Arizona’s Mikaila Esser in another 11-10 tiebreaker.

Kildare’s Mollie Dagg, Tyrone’s Eilise McCrory, Limerick’s Martina McMahon and Galway woman Niamh Heffernan all recorded wins, with the top seeds entering the fray on Thursday.